OSCE conference on tolerance and non-discrimination

A high-level OSCE conference in Tirana on 21-22 May focused on the implementation of current OSCE commitments in the area of non-discrimination.

FRA gave one of the five keynote speeches during the first panel discussion which covered “Combating intolerance and discrimination against any person, including racism, xenophobia and aggressive nationalism, in accordance with the existing OSCE commitments”. The speech drew on findings from its Roma, EUMIDIS and LGBT surveys. Statements from many EU delegations included calls to the OSCE institutions to start addressing discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity. The EU Delegation to the OSCE (speaking on behalf of the EU under the Irish Presidency) referred in many of its statements to FRA research including the LGBT survey and the FRA hate crime report. The EU, US, Canada, and Norway also held a high-level LGBT side event during this conference at which FRA presented the violence/hate crime findings from its LGBT survey.